Hi, I'm Trish Walsh. I'm a 4th grade teacher in the Brea Olinda Unified School District. I am also a district science coordinator and Beckman Foundation trainer. I am happy to be a Tier 1 participant and am now the principal designee at my school site.
Reflections
TECHNOLOGY Session 1: Bookmarking - I am really excited to learn about some new technology resources. Though I have a teacher webpage, I created an iKeepBookmarks account that will be an alternative that I can keep and use outside of school or when our server is down. I included a professional development folder to start collecting weblinks that will be helpful on my administrative path. I am feeling more comfortable navigating on social bookmarking sites and seeing the use in them with my classroom and my administrative program. Thanks Ted. You are a great technology instructor.
Session 2: Survey Monkey - It's a great, easy way to collect data/opinions/information, etc. I have used Survey Monkey before as a District Science Coordinator. It was the perfect, non-intrusive way for us to gather information about who had been trained on what kits and what further steps were needed for professional development in science. Analyzing the data was a breeze. I would definitely use it with a staff or for gathering data from teachers throughout the district by email. I would use use after a teacher training, or I would use it with parents from my classroom. I would teach my kids how to use it to design their own or to respond to mine. It's so simple and accessible
Spreadsheets, Graphs, Presentations - I have worked with graphs in Excel before and am comfortable using the program. It was nice to practice more and reinforce skills. I am also comfortable with Power Point, but again, it's nice to reinforce and hear a few new tips and tricks from Ted. I really enjoyed finding the Presentation Zen part of Garr Reynold's website. I acquired some great tips on keeping slides simple and how to choose a good font; I'll now use Gill Sans more often. I even added a link to his site on my ikeepbookmarks page in my Professional Development folder. Obviously use of spreadsheets and graphs can enhance curriculum, and integration of multimedia is essential. I can use it in many ways in my classroom & as an educational leader. Obstacles include poor technology resources at a school or training site, and of course, the glitches in technology that can always come up. That's why Ted's tip on staying flexible is so important! Another obstacle is overcoming uncertainty or fear amongst a staff or group you may be working with. It is very important to help our peers feel comfortable using technology in education. So much of it is really user-friendly if you just jump in. My biggest challenge is just knowing what is available and how to apply it to something useful!
Question: How can we get fully behind use of technology in the classroom or computer lab when the district infrastructure does not support it, and it is completely unreliable? It is disheartening and frustrating when you plan for use of technology, but your efforts are thwarted by a lab that is down.
Session 3: Garage Band/Podcasting - Wow! I cannot believe how easy and accessible this is, and how many applications related to curriculum there are. I'm excited that I've had my eyes opened to the world of Podcasts! My first podcast, and intro to Early California Explorers, is cheesy, but I hope to show my students and help them create their own.
Hi Trish,
I really liked your reflection. In the past couple of months we have discussed the importance of time for reflection. But, more importantly, how to do it effectively to better student learning and still have the teacher feel successful. As you mentioned, it is so important to provide feedback for teachers after observation. I also agree with you in that a school administrator needs to model this in his or her own work. We forget at times how many other responsibilities a principal or administrator has on top of self refection, and it most often falls by the wayside. But it is still so important to do for student and teacher success. Perhaps because I am on spring break and have been watching more television than usual, but I keep thinking about that CA dairy commercial that says something like "good dairy comes from happy cows, and happy cows come from California." But, I think that definitely relates to what we are discussing here. Good instruction comes from happy teachers, and happy teachers come from happy principals. And as you pointed out, happy administrators are those men and women who take the time to reflect on what he or she is doing on campus and modify what they are doing to be more successful.
-Meredith Maffetore
Reflections
TECHNOLOGY
Session 1: Bookmarking - I am really excited to learn about some new technology resources. Though I have a teacher webpage, I created an iKeepBookmarks account that will be an alternative that I can keep and use outside of school or when our server is down. I included a professional development folder to start collecting weblinks that will be helpful on my administrative path. I am feeling more comfortable navigating on social bookmarking sites and seeing the use in them with my classroom and my administrative program. Thanks Ted. You are a great technology instructor.
Session 2: Survey Monkey - It's a great, easy way to collect data/opinions/information, etc. I have used Survey Monkey before as a District Science Coordinator. It was the perfect, non-intrusive way for us to gather information about who had been trained on what kits and what further steps were needed for professional development in science. Analyzing the data was a breeze. I would definitely use it with a staff or for gathering data from teachers throughout the district by email. I would use use after a teacher training, or I would use it with parents from my classroom. I would teach my kids how to use it to design their own or to respond to mine. It's so simple and accessible
Spreadsheets, Graphs, Presentations - I have worked with graphs in Excel before and am comfortable using the program. It was nice to practice more and reinforce skills. I am also comfortable with Power Point, but again, it's nice to reinforce and hear a few new tips and tricks from Ted. I really enjoyed finding the Presentation Zen part of Garr Reynold's website. I acquired some great tips on keeping slides simple and how to choose a good font; I'll now use Gill Sans more often. I even added a link to his site on my ikeepbookmarks page in my Professional Development folder. Obviously use of spreadsheets and graphs can enhance curriculum, and integration of multimedia is essential. I can use it in many ways in my classroom & as an educational leader. Obstacles include poor technology resources at a school or training site, and of course, the glitches in technology that can always come up. That's why Ted's tip on staying flexible is so important! Another obstacle is overcoming uncertainty or fear amongst a staff or group you may be working with. It is very important to help our peers feel comfortable using technology in education. So much of it is really user-friendly if you just jump in. My biggest challenge is just knowing what is available and how to apply it to something useful!
Question: How can we get fully behind use of technology in the classroom or computer lab when the district infrastructure does not support it, and it is completely unreliable? It is disheartening and frustrating when you plan for use of technology, but your efforts are thwarted by a lab that is down.
Session 3: Garage Band/Podcasting - Wow! I cannot believe how easy and accessible this is, and how many applications related to curriculum there are. I'm excited that I've had my eyes opened to the world of Podcasts! My first podcast, and intro to Early California Explorers, is cheesy, but I hope to show my students and help them create their own.
Web Links
My Bookmark Links
Early California Explorers Intro Podcast
Survey
Baseball Survey
Reflective Essays
Standard 1: Shared Vision of Learning 11/2/07
Standard 2: Culture of Teaching & Learning 3/28/08
Standard 3: Management of the School in the Service of Teaching & Learning 5/23/08
Standard 4: Working with Diverse Families & Communities 6/30/08
Standard 5: Personal Ethics & Leadership Capacity 10/17/08
Standard 6: Political, Social, Economic, Legal & Cultural Contexts 11/30/08
Article Reflections
John Goodlad article reflection 12/8/07
Roland Barth article reflection 1/25/08
Douglas Reeves article reflection 2/22/08
Parker Palmer article reflection 3/28/08
Hi Trish,
I really liked your reflection. In the past couple of months we have discussed the importance of time for reflection. But, more importantly, how to do it effectively to better student learning and still have the teacher feel successful. As you mentioned, it is so important to provide feedback for teachers after observation. I also agree with you in that a school administrator needs to model this in his or her own work. We forget at times how many other responsibilities a principal or administrator has on top of self refection, and it most often falls by the wayside. But it is still so important to do for student and teacher success. Perhaps because I am on spring break and have been watching more television than usual, but I keep thinking about that CA dairy commercial that says something like "good dairy comes from happy cows, and happy cows come from California." But, I think that definitely relates to what we are discussing here. Good instruction comes from happy teachers, and happy teachers come from happy principals. And as you pointed out, happy administrators are those men and women who take the time to reflect on what he or she is doing on campus and modify what they are doing to be more successful.
-Meredith Maffetore
Various Items
Shadowing Report 12/7/07
Leadership Actions Sort 2/22/08
Assumptions & Staff Responses 3/28/08
Single School Plan Discussion with Administrator 4/18/08
Cognitive Coaching Planning Conversation 4/18/08
"What Families Want" 5/2/08
Safe School Plan 5/24/08
Classroom Management Scenarios 5/24/08
Decision Analysis 6/7/08
Code of Ethics 8/15/08
Collaborative Learning Cycle 8/15/08
Schedule & Explanation 9/19/08
Conflict of Interests Ch. 10 9/19/08